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Marlborough First Settlers
Natives See Article: Marlborough Indian Plantation for the history and names from Ockoocangasett, the forerunner village to today's Marlborough MA. It was one of several Praying Indian Towns in the region. The town consisted of local Indians who had converted to Christianity and then petitioning the Massachusetts General Court for protection from other warring Indian tribes. English Puritan Immigrants The first settlers of most early New England Towns were of Puritan stock, which is heavily reflected in the character of early Marlborough. The Puritans were a result of the sixteenth century Reformation when the great doctrine of Right or Private Judgment was successfully asserted against the authority of the Papal Church. 1656 John Howe Cabin John Howe (1620-1680), in 1656 was a fur trader who built a house next to Ockoocangasett. 1656 Petition In the 1650s, several families left the nearby town of Sudbury MA, 18 miles west of Boston, to start a new town. The village was named after Marlborough, the market town in Wiltshire, England. It was first settled in 1657 by 14 men led by Edmund Rice, John Ruddock and John Howe; in 1656 Rice and his colleagues petitioned the Massachusetts General Court to create the town of Marlborough and it was officially incorporated in 1660. In the 1650s, several families left the nearby town of Sudbury, 18 miles west of Boston, to start a new town. The village was named after Marlborough, the market town in Wiltshire, England. It was first settled in 1657 by 14 men led by Edmund Rice, John Ruddock and John Howe; in 1656 Rice and his colleagues petitioned the Massachusetts General Court to create the town of Marlborough and it was officially incorporated in 1660. 1656 Marlborough Petition Source: The History Of Sudbury by: Alfred Serno Hudson published: 1889 republished: 1968 "About the time that Sudbury settlers were pioneering on the south of their plantation, their attention turned in a westerly course also. Marlboro, which formerly included Northboro, Southboro, Westboro, and Hudson was a wilderness country bordering in that direction. Very naturally, as the people began to feel the need of more territory, they sought it thitherward as well as towards the south. The result was, that in 1656, the following petition was presented to General court: "To the Hon. Governor & assembled in Boston. The humble petition of several in habitants of Sudbury whose names are here underwritten showeth, that whereas your petitioners have lived divers years in Sudbury and God hath been pleased to increase our children which are now divers of them grown to man's estate and we many of us grown into years so that we should be glad to see them settled before the Lord take us away from hence and also God having given us some considerable cattle so that we ar so straightened that we cannot so comfortably subsist as could be desired and some of us having taken pains to view the country we have found a place which lyeth westward about eight miles from Sudbury which we conceive might be comfortable for our subsistence, It is therefore the humble request of your Petitioners to this Honored Court that you would be pleased to grant unto us eight miles square for to make a Plantation." This petition was signed by the following parties: Edmund Rice William Ward Thomas King John Wood(s) Thomas Goodnow John Ruddock Henry Rice John How John Bent Sr. John Maynard Richard Newton Peter Bent Edward Rice Answer was given to this petition at a General court session held in Boston, May 14 1656, to the effect that a tract of land six miles square be granted, provided it hinder no prior grant, and that a town be settled thereon with twenty or more families within three years time, so that an able ministry might there be sustained. A committee was appointed to lay out the bounds and make report to the "Court of Election". Unless they did this, the grant would be void. A portion of the territory desired had previously been granted to the Indians, on petition of Rev. John Elliot, but a committee was appointed who amicably adjusted the matter so that each party had their lands laid out and duly confirmed. The plantation of the Indians was known as Ockoocangansett, and was partly surrounded by the plantation of the English, which for a brief period was called Whipsuppenicke. A plan of the latter was made in 1667, and approved by the authorities the same year. It contained 29,419 acres, which, with the 6000 acres which had been reserved for the Indians, made 35,419 acres. The first proprietors meeting was held Sept. 25 1656, and the same year William Ward, Thomas King, John Ruddock, and John How were "chosen to put the Affairs of the said Plantation in an orderly way". A petition for incorporation was soon sent to the General Court, and being favorably received, in 1660 the place ceased to be merely a plantation legally connected with Sudbury, but became a town of itself, and was called Marlboro. The places where some of the Sudbury settlers early had their abodes in Marlboro are still known, and some of them have been designated in the history of the town. Such places furnish food for reflection to the thoughtful mind, and not the least so perhaps to the people of the town from whence the early occupants of those dwellings went forth. May the sites of those primitive dwelling places on which the roof tree long since decayed, continue to be pointed out, and suggest the spirit of enterprise that inspired that little company who went forth from Sudbury in search of new lands!" 1656: Marlborough Petitioners 13 Men and their families led by Edmund Rice - 1656 Petitioners (all appear to be English Immigrants): # Edmund Rice (1594-1663) - Plantation petitioner # John Ruddick (1592-1650) (??? dates) - Plantation petitioner # John Howe (1620-1680) - Plantation petitioner # William Ward (1603-1687) - Plantation petitioner # Thomas King (1594-1676) - Plantation petitioner # John Wood (1609-1678) - Plantation petitioner # Thomas Goodenow (1617-1666) - Plantation petitioner # Henry Rice (1621-1711) - Plantation petitioner # John Bent (1596-1672) - Plantation petitioner # John Maynard (1598-1672) - Plantation petitioner / Son, John Jr took up residence in Marlboro. # Richard Newton (1609-1701) - Plantation petitioner # Peter Bent (1629-1678) - Plantation petitioner / died in England. # Edward Rice (1622-1712) - Plantation petitioner Early Marlborough Residences Source: History of Marlborough - pg 43-44. # John Howe (1620-1680) was the first white inhabitant who settled in the town. # Edmund Rice (1594-1663) is supposed to have resided near where the present Town Hall stands. # William Ward (1603-1687) had a homestead located south-westerly of the Meeting-House Common, on what is now known as the Hayden place. # John Woods (1641-1716), Sen., resided near the east village, on the road towards Southborough. # John Maynard (1598-1672) settled south-easterly of the Meeting-House, west of the house lot of John Woods, being near the place where Mr. Israel Howe now resides. # Jonathan Johnson's house lot was directly south of the old Common, and was given to him on condition that he should reside in town a specified time, and do the smith-work for the people. # John Ruddick (1600) - John Ruddocke's place was north-westerly of the Meeting-House, on the spot where widow Joseph Howe now resides. # Christopher Banister's house lot was on the north of John Ruddocke's, and bounded on the east by the Indian Line, being near the old John Gleason place. # John Bahrett resided near Christopher Banister. His lot was bounded east by the Indian Line, and south by the house lot of Banister ; and was near the Barnes place. # Abraham Howe (1632-1695) resided near School-House No. 2, west of John Ruddocke. # Edward Rice (1622-1712) located himself on the east of the present residence of widow Otis Russell, having Abraham Howe easterly of him. # Thomas Rice (1626-1681) resided north of the Pond, and probably not far from the present residence of Moses Howe. # William Kehly probably resided at the lower end of South Street, on the south road to Boston. # Richard Ward's house lot was west of the Indian Line, and probably near the old John Gleason place. # Samuel Brigham (1652-1713) resided three-fourths of a mile east of the East Village, near the old tan-yard of the late Capt Daniel Brigham. # Thomas Brigham (1641-1717) resided in the westerly part of the town, on the place now known as the Warren Brigham place, on the south road to Northborough. # John Bent (1636-1717) took up his abode south of the Pond, on the place where the late Daniel Stevens resided. The farm was in the possession of the Bent family for several generations. # Richard Barnes, who came to the country with the Bent family, located himself a little to the south of the Bent place, on the farm now owned by Dr. Barnes. This place has always remained in possession of some one of the family. # Abraham Williams, who became a proprietor in 1663, located himself near the south-easterly end of the Pond, a site long known as the old Williams Tavern stand. # Thomas Goodenow - original house was north of the Meeting-House, probably near the Solomon Barnes place, and was bounded on the east by the Indian Line. Other Early Marlborough Settlers : 1656-1700 In addition to the 13 petitioners listed above, we have the following family heads that settled early into Marlborough. Date shown is when settler became a freeman of Marlborough MA # Thomas Barnes (1636-1679) - Early Marlborough Settler. # John Bellows (1622-1682) - Early Marlborough Settler - English Immigrant # John Fay (1641-1690) - Freeman 1669 - English Immigrant # Abraham Howe (1632-1695) - English Immigrant # Richard Newtown (1605-c1640), was a colonist from England and removed from Sudbury where he and his family lived from 1638-1656 and was a proprietor in Marlboro of about 130 acres. Scottish Immigrants Several Scottish immigrants settled here - circa 1680. # Daniel Forbush (1620-1687) - Settled in circa 1681 - Scottish Immigrant # William Eager (1629-1690) - 1650 Scottish Immigrant It seems that John Howe (1620-1680) was the first white inhabitant who settled in the town. He probably came to the place as early as 1657 or '58, and built himself a cabin a little east of the Indian planting field, about one-third of a mile north-easterly of Spring Hill Meeting-House, where the late Edward Rice resided. Though his habitation was in the immediate vicinity of the native tribe of Indians, he succeeded in securing not only their friendship, but their entire confidence and esteem. This place was in possession of his descendants for several generations. First Town Officials # Edmund Rice (1594-1663) was elected a selectman at Marlborough in 1657. Sumner Chilton Powell wrote, in Puritan Village: The Formation of a New England Town, "Not only did Rice become the largest individual landholder in Sudbury, but he represented his new town in the Massachusetts legislature for five years and devoted at least eleven of his last fifteen years to serving as selectman and judge of small causes." 1670 Marlborough Houselots List of township houselots and acres dedicated in 1670 for town settlers: # Edmund Rice (1663-1726) - 50 # William Ward (1603-1687) - 50 # John Ruddick, Jr - 50 # Thomas Goodenow, Sr - 32 # Joseph Rice (1638-1711) - 22 # Samuel Rice (1634-1685) - 21 # Christopher Banister - 16 # Thomas King (1594-1676) - 30.5 # William Kerly - 30 # Solomon Johnson - 23 # John Johnson _ 30 # Richard Newton (1609-1701) - 30 # John Howe (1598-1671), Sr - 30 # John Howe (1620-1680), Jr - 16 # Henry Kerly - 19.5 # Richard Barnes - 16 # Thomas Rice (1626-1681) - 35 # Joseph Homes - 18 # Samuel Howe (1642-1713) - 16 # Andrew Belcher - 20 # Obadiah Ward (1632-1718) - 21 # Edward Rice (1622-1712) - 35 # Richard Ward (c1659-) - 18 # John Woods, SR - 30 # John Maynard (1598-1672) - 23 # Peter King - 22 # Benjamin Rice (1640-1713) - 24 # A Minister - 30 # Peter Bent (1629-1678) - 30 # John Bellows - 20 # Abraham Howe (1632-1695) - 25 # Thomas Goodenow, Jr - 20 # John Rutter = 30 # John Barrett - 18 # John Rediat - 22.5 # A blacksmith = 30 # Henry Axtell - 15 # John Newton - 16 Land Disputes 1686 In about 1686, many residents of Marlborough signed several key legal agreements to contract the transfer of title of large piece of indian land known as the Indian Plantation to the townsfolk. Ten Indians also signed it. References * History of the Town of Marlborough... - by Charles Hudson, pub 1862. - Chapter 2 - Indian Plantation * A Letter Written to a Brother Bennett in Behalf of the Genealogical Society of Utah, Richard Newtown, Wife and Children, Part 1, p. 10 Category:American settlers Category:Marlborough, Massachusetts